The mayors of some large cities want to regulate e-scooters more in the future and expect help from the federal government. In Nuremberg, parking the scooter incorrectly on narrow sidewalks in particular leads to “displeasure”, said Mayor Marcus König of the FAS. The city is therefore planning to set up “fixed stations” for scooters and to expand zones with parking bans. König said: “The federal government must give municipalities more options.” He wants e-scooters to be automatically braked in green areas or pedestrian zones. “This is technically possible and is also practiced in other countries. In Germany, the Federal Motor Transport Authority rejected this. "
There is also criticism of the federal government from Mannheim. A spokesman told the FAS that "the vehicles were approved without creating a legal framework for regulating providers and parking the vehicles." The vehicles are largely treated like bicycles when they are parked, which makes it difficult to control and sanction vehicles that are parked in a disruptive manner.
In Düsseldorf, Mayor Stephan Keller sees the “transport policy benefits of e-scooters very critically”. He told the FAS: "Since a general ban is not possible, new regulations should curb the excesses." Here, too, the "wrong parking on sidewalks and cycle paths and the 'lawn' in pedestrian zones" caused problems. In Düsseldorf, companies are only allowed to set up their electric scooters with a special use permit. This allows the city to regulate a lot more than others. Fixed parking spaces in Düsseldorf's old town are already being tested. In addition, the city is currently working on "further possible restrictions with regard to driving ban zones and parking options," said Keller.
In Dresden one wants to break away from a voluntary cooperation with the suppliers of the scooters and, as in Düsseldorf, permit the setting up of the rental vehicles only with special use permits. This means that “conditions can finally be linked,” said Mayor Dirk Hilbert of the FAS. Proposals are currently being drawn up, such as fixed parking spaces for scooters in the city center. For Hilbert, in particular, "the ecological objective that was associated with the introduction of the e-scooter at the federal level has by no means been fulfilled". In Dresden, the scooters did not reduce car traffic, but were used on routes that would otherwise be covered on foot, by bike or by public transport. "In this respect, the added value for the cities is extremely low."
E-scooters have been approved in Germany since 2019. Since the beginning there have been discussions about the ecological benefits and disabilities of pedestrians. Cologne's Lord Mayor Henriette Reker recently tweeted a picture of dozens of e-scooters in one place and added: "It can't stay that way."